!!STOP THE PRESS!!

*******P of the Double D and Mr and Mrs P.H are delighted to announce their emigration from the USA to Northern Cyprus*******

With the remaining forfeits from the GL&LC packed safely within the P of Double D, I can now reveal that the PH family joined me on my Thanksgiving pilgrimage back home to Northern Cyprus.
  
To make sure their trip was safe and comfortable, they were securely nestled inside my hand luggage, thus avoiding the potential for tuberous theft by any potato-loving Turkish Airlines baggage handlers.   While ensuring a safe passage, it also guaranteed me some very strange looks as I sent my hand luggage through the security screening machine.  What?  You've never seen a single lady vacation with a Mr Potato Head before?  Sheesh....

Anyway, upon arrival, they then lay in wait, hidden from all inside an old blender box of Dad's, before emerging triumphant on Christmas Day to surprise my sister as the VIP guests of the day!  As you also now know, I'd turned the GL&LC blogs into a book for her, so to get that, plus the rockstar P of Double D himself, meant she was absolutely thrilled!! (although, at first, before she'd opened it, she apparently turned to Dad and said, questioningly, "Sarah's bought me a blender??").   I'd also given her the Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge book too - this one was accompanied by a Spam tin lunchbox, a tin of Spam and a tin of baked beans that she opened first, also to some bemusement - and then all was revealed when she opened up the book.  Bloody brilliant.  To set that up alone for Christmas Day made the 24 hr journey to get to Cyprus worthwhile.

So, please join me in wishing the Potato of Destiny and Despair and Mr and Mrs Potato Head much happiness and fun in their new life in Northern Cyprus.  I'm looking forward to reading Loopy's FB posts on their crazy adventures and I know already that they are awaiting the 2nd International Duck Day with eager anticipation.  Bring it on!!!

*****************NOW AVAILABLE - LIMITED TV OFFER!!!********************

Greetings, blog-watchers! Yes - as part of Loopy's Christmas pressie this year, I did, indeed, turn the KSCC and the Get Lean and Loopyliscious blog posts into Actual Real-Life Books!  It took a little time to do all the formatting but, aside from that, was actually pretty easy - i found a site called Blurb.com and simply "slurped" all my blog posts, including the pictures, into a draft book, formatted it all, choose the colors, fonts, page styles etc and Bob's Your Uncle, I'm published!  And how splendidly they did turn out, I might add.   And - what's more, is that you can own your very own copy of the classic thriller novel, Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge ("how will it all end???") or the inspirational Get Lean and Loopyliscious Challenge!  Yes, bizarrely enough, both are available for additional purchase through Blurb's online bookstore - simply click on the link below!   So, if you have someone in your life who has everything money can already buy, why not bring some additional sunshine into their lives by introducing them to such classic characters as the P of Double D, the Wheel of Fur-tune or the Not Unattractive Cap'n John.  Or share with them the gift of health with recipes for Cat Splat Cabbage,  Hubble, Bubble and Pasta Bake Trouble and everyone's favorite, Baked Bean Spam and Pizza.

BUT WAIT!!

If you order now, well, umm... you'll have a book to show for it in about 3 weeks.  Well done, you.  A good choice.

BUT...REALLY.....WAIT!!

I could also do an e-version of the book for the iPad that would be as cheap as chips, but haven't got round to formatting it - if there is a significant public outcry that this represents an unacceptable omission in the pantheon of literature greats, I will consider undertaking said endeavor.

I'm looking forward to an early retirement on my earnings.... Here are the links....

Get Lean and Loopyliscious Challenge

Kitchen Store Cupboard Challenge

BREAKING NEWS on Narcissus Watch!! 
Our Pet House Plant is now blooming!!!

In other Festive News, we are now in proud possession of a lighted garland festooning the fireplace and  a rather spectacular home-made Tunis cake.  More cake news to follow as Oooey-Gooey Weekend approaches.....

What the Dickens?
So to round off a perfectly festive weekend, on Sunday, Mumsie and I took a trip to one of San Francisco's other annual traditions - The Great Dickens Christmas Fair.  Held at the highly amusingly named Cow Palace in Daly City, it runs for about 5 weekends in the run-up to Christmas. so I thought it would be fun to check it out.  Here's the blurb about it from their website:  http://dickensfair.com/

Loopy - this one is for you! 

"The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a one-of-a-kind holiday adventure into Victorian London -  an elaborate party with hundreds of costumed players performing and interacting with patrons in over 120,000 square feet of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance floors, and Christmas shops. It's a twilight evening in Charles Dickens' London Town - a city of winding lanes filled with colorful characters from both literature and history. Enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air. Cries of street vendors hawking their wares ring out above the bustling crowd. Dozens of lamplit shops are filled to overflowing with Christmas gifts. The Dickens Christmas Fair is a treasured Bay Area tradition since 1970 and a splendid way to celebrate the holidays..."

At $25 a pop, it wasn't the cheapest day out, but it was worth it to find out what all the fuss was about.  If you stayed all day and made the most of all the various shows and entertainers, its not too bad for a whole day out.  But, in the end, we only stayed for a couple of hours as it got more and more packed out and those narrow streets of Olde London Town were groaning at the seams.  So we bid Mr Dickens and his Assorted Players farewell, and headed back home for a nice 21st century Cup of Tea.  Here are some piccies from our little excursion.   And - for the first time this year - I happened to be one of the few people NOT in costume!!

Tee hee....

Sooty and Sweep

Urchin quickly learns not to challenge
Mumsie to a staring contest - instant petrification ensues...

Just like Olde London Town...

Yey!  Good olde Morris dancers! 

Penny Farthing

Yo, Santa!  Chuck us a pressie!!

There's nothing like a nice cuppa tea, no
matter what time period you're in... 

Not sure what's going on here - early Red Bull
advertising, perchance?

Alas the bar didn't have Victorian era prices...

The old nail in nose trick again. 

Sounds like a cat and bull story to me...

Obviously there were a bunch of smart arses
in evidence in Victorian times too...

Random wares and fares

Dude in lipstick with Sean Connery
in a dressing gown* 

A right old bird and her nest 

Sarah returns in her Christmas
tree outfit#

Artfully artificial posing guy

The Gravy Concourse??

Reminscent of Padstow, the 'Obby 'Oss with
 his collection of Morrises

Hmmm...stretching that Victoriana theme
a little thin, I feel... 

Plant pot hat lady

Possum with man-handler

Dickens' drawing room 

Loopy!!   

Dodgy drunken sweeps

Announcing the winner of the annual loo brush
 contest was always a nerve-wracking moment....

* OK, OK - its actually the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ebeneezer Scrooge.

# not true

Ding-ding!! All aboard the Ugly Christmas Sweater Boat Cruise!!

What better way to follow a day spent running round San Francisco dressed in a full plush reindeer suit than to spend 2 hours in the company of 150 sweaters, cardigans and waistcoats of increasingly random awfulness?   Yet again, I had succumbed to the siren call of another LivingSocial deal, and so we found ourselves, at 8.30pm, at Pier 42 and a half, waiting to board our boat for a cruise round the bay, and peeing ourselves laughing at just how atrocious everyone looked!  

Sarah and I work those festive fashions!

As you can see, we both looked pretty spectacular too - we'd trawled Ebay a few weeks ago, looking for that perfect Ugly Sweater - I think Sarah actually beat me, as hers was waaaay worse than mine! (mine was bordering on "almost wearable").  As you can see from the pictures below, though, some of the other freakish festive fashions on board put both of us in the shade - there was some seriously nasty knitwear in attendance!  

Bad Sweater Density Index = Flammably High

All in all, it was a really fun couple of hours.  There weren't as many people as I was expecting - only about 150 in total, so it wasn't too packed.  Everyone was in the mood to party, though, so we made up in enthusiasm what we lacked in numbers!

As for the cruise part of the Ugly Sweater Boat Cruise, it was completely dark so we had no idea where we cruised to and from - we could have spent a couple hours moored in dock for all we knew!  We did go up on board the main deck for a few minutes just to check it wasn't all a big scam - just as we were approaching the Golden Gate Bridge, so that was nice.  It was a bit chilly and a little windy up top, though, so we didn't stay long before heading back downstairs and into the warm.  Throughout the cruise, they had a DJ playing - the music was pretty good in parts, completely terrible in others and - much to Sarah's delight, there were a number of poles just begging to be danced around!  Unfortunately, according to Sarah, the poles were just too thick for the full-on professional exhibition, but you can see she gave it her best effort, much to the delight of the guys in the crowd.....

Santa's Pole

The time went by in a blur of sequins, tinsel and bad applique so, almost before we knew it, the cruise was over and it was time to leave behind our faux-ionistas and head into the night, looking for that most elusive thing of all.

A taxi cab in San Francisco.

Alas, none were to be found and so began the long walk home.  At least this time, it wasn't raining and I wasn't wearing velveteen hooves.....

Here are some more pictures from the rest of the evening - next year, we definitely need to step it up a notch to compete with this lot!  Enjoy!!

Why, hello sailor.. wanna see my sequins?

Spectacular.  One of the best outfits of the night.

Ummm.... q'ue?

Bad. 

Agadoo-doo-doo....